Exercising apparatus



.A. A. ARMSTRONG. EXERCISINGAPPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 26, 1919.

Patented Mar. 21,1922.

4 SHEETS- SHEEI1- A. A. ARMSTRONG. EXERCISING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 26, 1910. 1,4;Q9,992 Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

A. A. ARMSTRONG.

EXERCISING APPARATUS. I AFPUCATION FILED SEPT. 26. 1919.

1,409,999. a nted Mar- 21, 1.922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Fig. 13

Gum/wags UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN A. ARMSTRONG, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PERRY W.

FLICKER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

EXERCISING APPARATUS.

Application filed September 26, 1919. :Serial No. 326,587. i

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALLEN i AnMsTRoNe, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Exercising Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention disclosed herein is an exercising device known to the trade as the Athleta Cycle, and is designed to provide an improved cyclic exercising medium in which the operating parts are soconstructed and arranged that the legs and the arms unite in synchronized movements which require only the minimum expenditure of physical effort but yield the maximum value of healthful action to the entire body. The invention, therefore, is adapted to be advantageously used at all times and places where physical exercise or development is sought or recommended as in gymnasiums, public schools, colleges, sanitariums, hospitals, hotels and other places, and especially in the home for both adults and children, all substantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a reduced side view of the apparatus and Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view and section on line 33, Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-et, Fig. 3, of the cross brace at the middle and bottom of the main frame.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of one of the ball bearing coupling members for the hand crank, and Fig. 6 is a cross section thereof on line 6-6, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged side viewof the upper end of the post of one of the corner base brackets, showing the ball holder seated in the recess therein, and Fig. 8 is a sectional view thereof on the irregular line 8-8, Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged side view of one of the corner brackets and posts with one foot crank and treadle and its coupling parts as assembled and united for operation, and Fig. 10 is a front elevation of Fig. 9 with the post partially sectioned. Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation enlarged, of one of the removable ball bearings, comprising the holder plates, balls and a channeled collar, and Fig. 12 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 13 is a cross section of one crank coupling for the connecting rods which unite the several cranks Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21.19221,

together and showing the ball holder and bearing members clamped within the bottom seats therein. 1

Fig. 14 is an end View of one of the foot pedals or shoes, and Fig. l5is a sectional elevation of the adjustable rest plate and pivot support for said pedal. Fig. 16 is a vertical section of one of the crank couplings which support a rest plate and pedal, and Fig. 17' is a sectional View of one of the recessed arms which are'used to clamp the ball holder and bearing parts in the angular seat at the bottom of the rest plate and thereby connect the crank coupling in rotatable connection with the foot crank. Fig. 18is a sectional View lengthwise of the pedal plate shown in Fig. 14, and Fig. 19 is a similar view lengthwise of the adjustable pivot support shown in Fig. 15. Fig. 20 is a side view of the coiled spring'used between the pedal and its pivot support. Fig. 21 is a sectional view of the crank coupling, taken on line 2121, Fig. 16, and Fig. 22 is a side view and section, of the clamping arm, on line 22-22, Fig. 17.

The invention as thus shown and described comprises a main frame or structure in which there is a suitable base formed of wooden end and side pieces Z) seated within and connected by flanged brackets d having inclined posts 2 extending upwardly in converging relation on each side piece 6, and the top of these'posts are tapped and connected by horizontal tie rods. or tubes 3 and also by similar rods or tubes 1 at each side which converge to a central point above the side pieces I) and are tapped or threaded into its flanged ends upon the side pieces 5 and secured thereto by a single tie rod. 10 and similar tie rods 11 engage ears on the corner brackets and lock the wooden cross pieces 6" within the flanged seats at the inside of said brackets all, so that the frame may be Side sway is also effectively preeasily assembled or disassembled for ship meat atconvenience.

The posts of corner brackets (l and "the unions 5 are each fashioned with an inside wall 12 having a lateral opening surrounded at four radial points by angular recesses 14, seeFigs. 7 and 8, within which a ball holder 15 is removably securedbut fixed agalnst rotation in an upright position opposite the lateral opening insideof a removable cone or cover 16. Holder 15 com rises a pair of square plates riveted togetier side by side and of a size to fit the four, corners within recesses 14: and flared outwardly about a central round opening in both plates to pro-.

vide V -shaped ball racesbetween the plates for a multiple number of balls 17, and a sleeve or collar 18 having an annular ball bearing channel about its middle extends through and is adapted to rotate in the openings .in

said plates.

Each collar 18 is fastened upon the journal end of a crank arm 19, and there are three crank members or shafts 20 and 21, respectively, having such arms, one at each end of the base between the corner brackets (Z, and one between the unions 5. The two crank members 20 are utilized as foot cranks, and the upper and centrally disposed crank memher or shaft 21 provides a common hand crank for two persons standing opposite each other on the treadles or shoes 22 carried by the footcranks. The straight ends of crank arms 19 are projected through the bearing collars 18 and fixed rigidly therein, so thatrotation of the bearing collar is exclusively on balls17 to insurenoiseless and easy movements. y

The middle connecting portion of each foot crank 20 is bent at an angle to the crank arms 19 and has straight portions on which the treadles 22 are mounted and which ends are rigidly but detachably clamped within the split extremities of the crank arms 19. The hand crank 21 is also detachably clamped at its straight ends within the split extremities of the crank arms 19 which have rotatable bearing in unions 5..

The treadles 22 are not directly engaged with the foot cranks but are pivoted at their bottom to upri htlugs on a horizontal rest plate 23 which s mounted rigidly on a vertical stem 24 adjustably secured by a set screw 25 within a dependin boss on a. cast metal crank coupling 26 wiich, is rotatably and detachably connected with the foot crank. Crank coupling26 is in the form. of a plate with a pair of angular recesses 27 in its hottomin each of which a ball holder 15 as hereinbefore described is adapted to be fixed against rotation, especially when clamped in place by a forked arm or bracket 28. Holders lfi contain balls in bearing engagement with collars;18 which are fixed on the cranks 20, and the arms 28 have angular seats for the angular bottom corner of the plates of the holder so that when the arms 28 are detached from the bottom side of the coupling 26 the crank with its ball holders may be easily disconnected from said coupling. This isot advantage in assembling or disassembling the parts or in making renewals or repairs, or when substituting new ball holders for old ones, and in this connection it should be noted that the two pairs of crank couplings 26 for the two foot cranks are rigidly Connected together by horizontal tie rods 29 which extend through depending eyes or cars 30 and are adjustably fastened by nuts 30, see Fig. 9. The two foot cranks are in this way coupled to rotate together, and the hand crank 21 is also coupled to the foot cranks to synchronize the movement, of all three cranks. Thus the hand crank 21 is provided with ball bearing collars 18, balls 17 and holders 15 which are removably confined within angular recesses in around cou-- pling member 33 made in two separable parts and having diverging bosses adapted to receive the upper screw-threaded ends oi two converging connecting rods 31, and the lower ends of these rods are united to the foot crank couplings 26by nuts 32, see Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6. Each treadle 22 has a strap 34 across its front to confine the foot and also depending perforated cars 35 at its rear pivotally engaged with a pin extending horizontally through the upright'lugs on the rest plate 23. A spiral spring 36 is seated in a socket at the front end of rest plate 23 to afiord a yielding support for the treadle in front of the pivot pin, and the rear end 37 of said rest plate is projected upwardly to stop and limit the tilting or backward turning movement of the treadle. The rest plate 23, spring 36 and treadle 22 may be raised to gether to different elevations above the foot crank and the coupling 26 to accommodate persons of diiterent heights, but the radius of movement of the foot in describing a circle is not changed thereby. The spring is also connected at its ends to the rest plate and treadle, respectively, and acts both ways to control the tilting of the treadle,,and the. 11 5 operator may lean forward or back and shift his weight by rocking on the pedals, thereby easing his position or accelerating or retarding the crank movement.

Having reference now to the hand crank 21. at the top of the structure it will be seen that there is a single gripping crank for the two opposite toot cranks. However, two revoluble hand grips 38 are provided end for end on each straight portion of the hand crank21, which correspond inpositi'on to the two treadles placed oppositely inline on the foot cranks below; In other particulars the hand cranks and the foot cranks are of substantially similar construction throughout and have exactly the same stroke or radius of rotation and always cause one foot and hand on the same side to travel down together while the other foot and hand on the opposite side move up together in describing a circle.

I also employ a friction brake to control the speed of rotation of the connected cranks or to lock the same against rotation. Thus, in Fig. 1, I show the foot crank at the left as equipped with a brake wheel 4E0 at the outside of the stationary frame where said brake wheel is adapted to be engaged by a brake shoe 41 fixed at the lower end of a rod 42 which is mounted slidably in brackets l3 secured to the inclined pipe or tube l. A pivoted cam lever" 44: bears against the upper end of the brake rod 42 to effect a braking action on wheel 40, and a coil spring 45 is adapted to lift said rod and its brake shoe away from wheel 40 when the cam lever is thrown back. In this way the operator is enabled to control the starting and stopping movements of all three cranks and also retard the action in variable degree as he may elect.

What I claim is:

1. In an exercising apparatus, a foot crank and a hand crank and pedals on the foot crank adjustable to higher or lower levels relatively to the hand crank according to the reach of the operator, and link connections between said foot crank and hand crank to cause said parts to rotate together.

2. In an exercising apparatus, a pair of foot cranks and a hand crank, and operating connections between said cranks having corner coupling members engaged upon said cranks respectively, a rest plate having a pair to pair, pedal rests adjustable on said couplings and pedals pivotally mounted between their ends on said rests.

4:. In an exercising apparatus, a knockdown structure comprising two separate foot cranks and a single hand-crank united to rotate in unison and a separable supporting frame for said cranks comprising separate base pieces, corner brackets adapted to connect said base pieces having posts, a central cross-brace connecting the sides of said base,

transversely disposed tie rods binding said base pieces and brackets and cross brace together as a rigid unit, horizontal cross rodsat right angles to said tie rods connecting said posts and vertically disposed inwardly inclined rods fixed in said posts and connected in pairs by unions at their top, and inclined braces connecting said unions with said central cross-brace, the whole constituting a rigid frame for the apparatus.

Signed at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, this 20th day of September, 1919.

ALLEN A. ARMSTRONG. 

